Vega - Crossroads

Crossroads

Vega

Hugh and Annie

Fri 15 Apr 2022 13:59

04:07.31N 73:27.91E

After leaving Kulhudhuffushi the welded exhaust manifold held which has been a relief. The nearer to Male we came the less I fretted about the repair failing or something else going wrong with the boat. I know I shouldn’t be saying this but it is becoming possible to enjoy cruising in the Maldives. Also there has been absolutely no wind. A big low pressure system to the south drew in a westerly airflow across the Maldives when we were in Kulhudhuffushi that would have been perfect for heading south but instead just allowed us to use the serviced Duogen in wind mode. It ran beautifully. Then we were motoring across glassy smooth seas and what little wind did set in from time to time was from the south.

After Kulhudhuffushi our first stop was at Farukolhu, an uninhabited island with typical bright pale blue water running up to a gleaming white sand beach backed by lush green vegetation. Gently rocking in our remote anchorage the relief was palpable and after a snorkle from the back of the boat we were already feeling released from the claustrophobia of Kulhudhuffushi harbour.

Next stop was Dholhiyadhoo island. You can look up the resort on Google and it seems very swish. Unfortunately the web site needs updating because the resort is now closed and has fallen into ruin. In some ways it makes for a more interesting anchorage and it is on the well worn path for yachties through the Maldives. There are two Bangladeshi “caretakers” on the island, one of whom claims to have been there for 14 years. Lots of Bangladeshi men are employed in the Maldives as cheap labour and these two seem to have been pretty much abandoned. They keep in touch with home on their mobile phones but as their generator had recently failed they were unable to charge them. We charged their power pack on board overnight so hopefully they will be able to summon someone to at least repair their generator.

Khuredhdhoo is an island resort on which we looked forward to a meal ashore and some scuba diving. Dodging the sea planes flying in and out we anchored initially in the sea plane taxiway to the jetty and then further away in a lovely spot alongside the “runway”. We went over to the jetty in the dinghy but found security very reluctant to let us go any further. We thought this a bit odd because Endorphin and Hecla had visited a few days previously. Eventually the manager Atik appeared and we were informed that a guest had tested positive for Covid and we couldn’t be allowed ashore until the guest was out of quarantine in seven days time. We were allowed to remain at anchor and so we watched the sea planes going in and out and the following morning snorkled the house reef which turned out to be wonderful with a wreck and lots of fish.

Farther south we stopped at Kaashidhoo island. We were helped to tie up the dinghy by a man who turned out to be the captain of a 140ft safari boat being built in a shed by the harbour. He was keen to show us his pride and joy, built entirely of wood, and very impressive it was too. After three years of construction, the launch was scheduled for July. Supper was at the restaurant on the top floor of a newly built guest house and we seemed to be the first customers. This is not a tourist island (but is interesting for all the agricultural produce grown there) and we wondered what the customer base was likely to be.

Gaas Faro reef is a large lagoon surrounded by a shallow reef. We anchored in the bright pale blue clear water and were immediately joined by a dozen or so very inquisitive batfish that stayed around the boat and followed us when we swam. By way of a contrast we then stopped at the resort island of Makunhudhoo, anchoring in the small lagoon in front of the jetty and nearby bar. If you wish for two quiet weeks (no jet skis etc) of swimming, snorkling, diving, sundowners in front of gorgeous sunsets and good food then this is the place for you. As it was for us and we managed a shore dive on the house reef as a refresher and a boat dive in the afternoon. We saw white and black tip sharks, a manta ray, lots of shoals of brightly coloured fish and, like everywhere else we have dived, mostly bleached and dead coral. Global warming has killed most of the coral reef we have dived on and yet still the world refuses to do anything meaningful to address the visible catastrophe we are creating. Despite the government rhetoric the UK does nothing to reduce energy demand and it’s only response to finding alternatives to Russian oil and gas is to allow more development of North Sea oil and gas. It is a scandal that our grandchildren are going pay a very heavy price for.

After two nights of rather expensive interlude we set off to cross the atoll to meet up with Endorphin and Hecla at Thulusdhoo. On the way we stopped at a manta ray feeding station where we met a boat with snorkelers from Makunhudhoo who took Annie over to the manta while I drifted nearby on Vega. The manta were swimming close to the surface and the tips of their fins were pointing skywards all around.

When I ordered the replacement cooling assembly (that includes the exhaust manifold) I was given a delivery time of three days to get the part to the dealer in Essex and four days for DHL to freight it out to the Maldives i.e. a week and I cautiously thought it might be 10 days. I then received an email to say that the expected delivery date from DHL was 13th April which is over three weeks from ordering. Had we been in Kulhudhuffushi and needing the part our cruising itinerary (and mental health) would have been wrecked. Now that we were heading south we could re-jig our plans and pick up and fit the part before going on from Male. However we were then notified that the part had in fact reached the Maldives on 2nd April! Things were looking up and we changed plans yet again, this time to go into Hulhumale harbour where we could receive the new part and where Kanburu could fly down and fit it for us. We could also get our empty gas cylinders refilled and have new batteries fitted.

We had originally planned to spend up to two weeks in the Crossroads marina, five miles south of Male. This was to be the halfway point in our passage through the Maldives and we hoped it would coincide with the seasonal shift to the north of the Inter Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ of which more in the next post). Having lost two weeks in Kulhudhuffushi we now only have time for a few days at Crossroads but could do this after Hulhumale. So, in the hope that customs clearance would take 2 to 3 days we went into Hulhumale on Thursday morning to collect the part. Kanburu, it turned out, was flying down to Male on Thursday with his daughter and could fit the part on Friday. Given that the weather was forecast to turn windy from the west on Saturday we could go down to Crossroads on Friday evening or Saturday morning and take shelter. By Thursday morning there was no indication that clearance would be completed that day and our agent Assad said that I should go to the DHL office in person to see if it could be completed. I met Assad’s colleague at the jetty and rode pillion on his motorbike all the way across to Male wearing nothing more than shorts and a tee shirt (but at least a helmet), dreading the thought of falling off or getting knocked off at speed. We made it to the DHL office in the city where I was told that the paperwork from our agent had only been received the previous day and there was no chance of it clearing on Thursday. Everything closes on a Friday and it is also Ramadan when businesses are only open intermittently during the day so there was no prospect of receiving the package before Sunday and our agent must have known this before sending me on a fools errand. I was then inexplicably taken to the reception of a small hotel for something to do with passport documentation before I was to be put on a fast ferry back to Hulhumale. Not having my passport on me I didn’t understand what was going on and was getting a tad irritated when another British yacht crew member appeared and it turned out the documentation was for him and not me! By the time this was sorted I had missed the fast ferry back and so it was a long pillion ride again.

Annie has christened Hulhumale harbour “Hellhumale” and for good reason. It is extremely busy, being the base for all the big safari boats. It is also the site of land reclamation, construction, waste transfer and so on with landing craft and other ships in constant procession. It is probably the filthiest harbour we have ever been in (Morocco included) - a sea of scum and plastic. Anchoring spots are few and far between with the safari boats putting out four long anchor lines in a quadrant from the bow. It took us an hour to find a big enough space towards the stern of the surrounding boats but still out of the fairway. Even then we had to put out less than 3 times the depth of chain to stay out of harms way. Once anchored there is no relaxing. You are not allowed to leave your dinghy at the busy small boat jetties so unless you have someone to ferry you to and from the jetty there is no getting ashore. Boats are weaving in and out of the anchorage all day and all night long. Nearby construction activity is 24 hours a day. You are on the end of the runways for seaplanes and the adjoining airport.

There is no other recommended berth or anchorage for Male unless you get a ferry across from one of the nearby islands. You need to go to Hulhumale for provisioning or administrative purposes or, in our case, for the best location for our engineer to get aboard. With windy weather forecast and few sheltered anchorages against westerly wind on the east side of the atolls we decided to head down to Crossroads and try and arrange our work there - which wouldn’t be a problem using the ferry from Male according to our agent. We had to spend one night at Hulhumale and this brought some joy because we were able to catch up with Ben and Ashley on Nahoa who we hadn’t seen since we sailed with them across the Pacific and to Vanuatu. In the interim sitting out Covid at home in Canada they have produced Willa and Bhodie. At two years and six months respectively they look set to enjoy an amazing upbringing on board that you can follow on their Utube vlog “Sailing Nahoa”.

Saturday morning we motored down to Wadu lagoon and anchored for lunch and snorkelling. We would have liked to have spent the night there but it was completely exposed to the forecast westerly wind and so we came across to the Crossroads marina. This is a new resort complex that includes Hard Rock and Hilton hotels. It is rather like Disney World with piped background music along the walkways and themed buildings. With a few Disney characters to mingle with the guests you could be in Orlando or Paris.

At $55 a night to berth and with no facilities other than access with a 10% discount to the eye wateringly costly bars and restaurants it is not a place to linger. This could be the perfect alternative to Hulhumale for a secure berth and to visit Male but life is not made easy for yachties. We anticipated that Kanburu could come and fit the new engine part but no, he would not be allowed to travel on one of the staff boats that cross to Male throughout the day. Kanburu had come down to Hulhumale with his daughter to take her to the hospital and was apparently staying down to fit our part when cleared from Customs. So, after some terse exchanges of email with DHL (who were doing the clearance) we decided to motor back up to Hulhumale for the day on Tuesday where Kanburu and the part could be brought to the jetty and I could ferry them to the boat. Needless to say it took three hours to collect he parcel, wait for Kanburu to visit his daughter in hospital (and who was being discharged that day) and get him on board. Fortunately we were able to use Ben and Ashley’s dinghy and also drop them and Annie at the jetty for a shore visit so things did fall into place and by 4.30pm the new part was fitted and we headed back to Crossroads.

Whilst we had access to Male we decided to make a hospital appointment to look at my three further facial lesions, one of which looked suspicious. Easiest to do this on the Crossroads ferry but because the $50 dollar a head return ferry only runs in the afternoons we would go over in the afternoon, stay the night and come back the following day. Whilst booking the ferry I was informed that the $50 return fare only applied on the same day, if we came back the following day it would be another $50 dollars a head. At this point all patience with the marina evaporated and they got my views with both barrels. After a meeting at which I explained the difficulties of staying here and how good a facility it could be if they got their act together we remain on good terms. In fact Jon, the manager, was the manager at the Sunsail facility when I brought my sons out here for a sailing charter 20 years ago!

And so, less three facial lesions that the doctor considered to be benign, we are ready to head south again. We have had the company of Endorphin and Hecla and now Nahoa so we have had good company to distract us from the difficulties of Crossroads.